Thursday 15 July 2010

editing etc

mainly sunny, hot, temps 30

Great day...sat again on the porch and edited. Michael beside me. Wayne cutting the grass. We really do need to consolidate the work done at the home, so that everyone doesn't come on separate days. I just really long for peace and quiet to write and edit and just be...quiet. But now it seems everyone comes on a different day. Have asked Lise if she can help with this...

Have to say, the place just shines after Lise and Wayne have been.

It was so hot today...we were just dying...but when Wayne's out there cutting grass we just don't feel we can splash around in the pool. Torturous for him, and not very private for us.

Writing a mixed bag...editing, really. Hit some patches that were pretty messy...surprisingly so. But also hit two sections that took my breath away - unexpectedly. I find if a section isn't working I need to read the scene all the way through, figure out why it's there, what I wanted to say...then re-shape it. Am winnowing it down too. down to just over 103,000 words. At this rate it might be a novella by the time I'm finished. Just kidding...I love that I now have loads of space to add if necessary. And I can think of a few scenes that need to be added.

Am loving this book though, and the themes.

Tomorrow more editing...then the 5-7 cocktail (in Quebec they're called cinq a septs) to open the Knowlton WordFest literary festival. Meeting, among others, Jim Napier there. He's a friend, and literary critic, and he and I are doing a couple of events together this weekend. He'd coming to stay overnight Friday and Saturday.

Not sure if we'll put him in the main house or the cottage. The cottage has air conditioning in the upstairs bedroom, so if it's stinking hot we'll put him there. Our guest bedroom in the main house gets sweltering.

Busy, busy weekend. But fun. Will tell you more about it in tomorrow's blog. Love to see you here for the lit fest.

Hope you're enjoying the day.

3 comments:

Maureen Harrington said...

Yes. Time for yourselves- really necessary. We tried having a 'team of three' come twice a week. That pretty much forced us out of the house for those two days. Fortunately we can't afford to do that very often!

Hope the fest in Knowlton is going well. Someday I'll get a road-worthy accessible van and will be there.

Louise Penny Author said...

Hi Reen,

Yes, a bit disruptive - but what luck to have so many people willing to help us. Are you living in the pool?

It would be such fun to meet one day, and I'm sure we will!

Maureen Harrington said...

In the pool- as we speak. Kendall trying to IM Trudy but only succeeds in drowning the iPhone.